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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: No Backing Down For Gordon
Jeff Gordon has finished second six times this season...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted August 16, 2009   Brooklyn, MI
Jeff Gordon posted a second-place finish in Sunday’s Carfax 400 at Michigan. (Photo LAT Photographic)

Jeff Gordon finally answered the only question that matters about his ailing back: Can he still race competitively in the wake of last Monday’s savage crash with Sam Hornish Jr. at Watkins Glen International?

The answer, unequivocally, is yes.

Gordon, who got testy Friday when queried about his aching back, silenced the doubters with a solid second-place finish in Sunday’s Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. It was the four-time series champion’s sixth runner-up finish of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. No one has more this year, which bodes well for Gordon’s chances to finally add the fifth title that’s eluded him since 2001.

“We're having a great year. We're showing that we're strong, a great team,” said Gordon, who moved back to second in points, behind only Tony Stewart. “I just would like to have a few more bonus points going into the Chase, a little bit more momentum. This certainly is going to help towards the momentum if we can go to Bristol next week and keep putting a strong finish out there and effort. That's going to mean as much to me as anything.”

When the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint after three more races, the 12 Chase-eligible drivers each will have their point totals reset to 5,000 points, plus 10 bonus points for each victory during NASCAR’s regular season. As of right now, Mark Martin would have 5,040 points, while Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson would have 5,030 each. Gordon, who won at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year, would have 5,010.

“I would rather be third in points right now and had that win today,” said Gordon. “That's all that really matters at this point for us.”

Gordon was disappointed by qualifying 21st on Friday at MIS, but gained crucial track position through a two-tire pit stop. And although he didn’t have the speed necessary to run down race-winner Brian Vickers in the race’s closing laps, on balance he was pleased with the effort from his crew and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS.

“It was a really good run,” said Gordon. “I mean, we started 21st. Just slowly but surely worked our way up to the front. We got in the top five there that one time. We took two tires. That got us a little bit behind. We were playing a little bit of catch up from that point on. We had a good car. We didn't have the best car. But like you saw today, the best car doesn't always win. We did everything we could to get the best finish we could.”

And Gordon had a succinct message for anyone still worried about his health: “My back is fine,” he said.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to




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